Something in the Forest
by sparrowsong421
Summary: Payton was in her backyard when she came across something very strange, something that would change her and her friend's lives forever. Rated T for some swearing...mostly brought to you by Audrey.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. Or an iPhone 4S, for that matter.**

**Prologue**

The sun was setting in Virginia Beach, Virginia, staining the sky with vibrant reds and oranges. The trees clashed with their darkness. The birds were falling silent, and the cicadas were picking up their song. I had always used to think of cicadas as something magical, insects that all start their refrain at the same time, with no command or preparation.

In fact, a lot of things were magical back when I was little; I would see the church's steeple reflected in a pool of rainwater; I would try to count the tiny squares on a green azalea leaf; I even sat up at night long past bedtime just thinking about time and numbers and how they fit together in this wonderful world. I appreciated Earth's beauty, unlike many children my age, who only saw rain as misery, storms as too loud; towering trees as boring, and flowers just colorful things you put in a vase just for them to wilt within four days. I was embarrassed to admit this was my generation. The small group of friends I had never seemed to recognize just how wonderful life on this planet could be; usually smiling and nodding meant they weren't paying attention when I went off on another speech about clouds that fascinated me or grass that whispered in the wind.

I was always very interested in outer space. I spent hours just staring at the stars and thinking about how they are just balls of compressed gas, big enough that gravity spun them into a sphere, then let them draw in smaller forms as planets. That's all we were. The thought made me giggle with delight and shudder with fear at the same time. We were so tiny in this colossal universe. It was amusing to think that we were not even a speck on a map of the heavens, if such existed. It was also unnerving, though- there simply _had_ to be other living things out there. Otherwise, when the sun expanded in a few billion years and boiled the Earth, what would be left? Would the bodies of the only life forms ever to exist disintegrate in the flames and be gone forever? It would hardly be fair, for the laws of physics to win over all. Then again, as seen from neutral eyes, nothing is fair or unfair; what is…simply is. How do I know what it feels like to be a third party? I've been there: I'll tell you my story.

Let's get back to Virginia Beach, the place where I had lived for nine years. At fifteen years old, I only had a glimpse of the "real world", the world of careers and salaries, of unemployment, of bills and taxes. I was enjoying a somewhat carefree moment outside, right next to the deciduous forest which was part of our backyard, before I had to come in for dinner. Leaning my head against a rough tree, I felt the bark gently tug my strawberry-blonde hair and lift it slightly. I pushed it behind my ear and continued my trance.

Then, as if someone had mixed up two sound tracks, the cicadas fell dead silent. Stillness hung like a thick veil around me, followed by an abrupt gust of wind. Throwing my long arms around the tree, I peered from around the side- a strange noise was issuing from a source possibly one or two hundred yards away. It sounded a little like scraping your fingernail across one of those things where you turn it one way and it's one picture, then another when you turn it the other way. Instinct told me to stay away, and I probably should have, but for some reason, I let curiosity take control instead. The noise dropped in pitch after a few repetitions, and I began to wonder what would make this kind of sound. It certainly wasn't an animal or an insect, and though branches can make quite a din with all their creaking, it definitely wasn't that.

As I got closer, a steadily blinking light filled the path. I shrank back behind a bush, suddenly feeling very frightened, which was uncommon for me. I took a deep breath and smacked myself on the side of the head. "Pull it together, Lee." Whenever I was talking to myself I used my last name. Payton was my first name, Andrea my middle- not that that's very relevant. Anyway, I stood and continued my trek. With nothing to track now that the noise had ceased, I found myself having to rely on memory. _To the right… no, left, I think… _Slowly I wended my way through the trees. I was skirting a clearing, focused on my path when I stepped on a twig and it gave a particularly loud crack.

"Oi! Who's there?" A voice with a British accent rang out.

I whipped my head around to my left to see the oddest thing: a big, blue box standing in the middle of the clearing. The words POLICE BOX stood out, lining the top. PUBLIC CALL was in smaller print.

I know what you're thinking. A_ mysterious_ object magically appeared in the middle of a forest while a _mysterious_ voice is calling out to me. Sounds pathetic, right? But wait, there's more to it. Don't stop reading now. You want to know why?

Your very life may depend on it. So don't stop reading, whatever you do. Otherwise you might be caught unprepared.

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><p><strong>Review! Review! Please review! I will hand out...erm...jammy dodgers? :D<strong>


	2. Chapter 1

**Thank you so much, animemonkey13, for the review! It made me laugh! Jammy dodgers to you! (Or would you rather care for a jelly baby...?) 0_o**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own. If I did...sigh, Doctor Who would be the least imaginative show ever.**

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><p>I was sure this was what made the sound- it was in the correct location. But how could that sound come from this thing? I mean, sure, I didn't know exactly what a police box was, but that didn't seem like it would have anything to do with it.<p>

"Now, don't be shy, just come on out."

In my confusion I had put the voice aside in my mind. It sounded like a man's, definitely British. Recent stories of teenage girls being kidnapped, murdered, or raped flashed through my head. But… wait. If this guy _was_ a pedophile, he probably wouldn't have a police box.

Before I could stop myself, I stepped forward.

_It would be the perfect cover-up!_

Of course, the thought occurs to me _after_ I move.

"_There _you are."

A man came out from behind the box, holding a silver pen. He looked just as unusual as this whole situation: he had long, brown hair which was swept to the side of his face in the front and gave the top of his head a lopsided look, brown eyes that seemed light and dark at the same time, a tan coat, and a bowtie.

"Oh! A human!" The man started and gave a short laugh. "Sorry, but traveling like this… Half the time, I don't even know where I am. The TARDIS here"- he patted the side of the box fondly- "She takes me all sorts of places. I guess I'm on Earth. Am I right?" He grinned at me.

_He's completely mad, _I thought. I meant to say this, but it came out more like, "Um, yeah."

"Oh, that's good! Yes, that's good…" His voice trailed off for a moment as his eyes turned dark, as if he was remembering something sad. Then he brightened up again as if it had never happened. "So, what's your name?"

Every instinct in me was shrieking, _don't tell him! Don't say anything!_

"Umm… My name's Payton. Payton Lee." Dang it, why did I have to be so stupid sometimes?

"Payton? That right?"

I nodded, already seeing the headlines in tomorrow's newspaper reading: _Local Teen Girl's Body Found in Forest._

The man strode forward and offered to shake my hand. "Well, Payton Lee, nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor."

I numbly shook his hand as he continued to smile. Then I broke through the confusion. "A doctor, you say? Doctor who? Who are you, and what do you want with me?"

"Just the Doctor, thank you. I'm just a traveler, and if you want, I can have absolutely nothing to do with you. I'll just stay out of your way. Now, if you'll excuse me," he brandished his silver pen again, "I have to find out why I ended up here instead of halfway across the galaxy, which was where I meant to go. Oops, I said too much! Did you hear that?" He looked at me.

"Um, something about traveling to the other side of the galaxy?" I eyed him warily. He was definitely a strange man.

He ignored me, though, and proceeded to point the pen in the air and press a button on top. To my astonishment, it lit up with a green light and made a sound that I can only describe as the air vibrating. It's the only way I can explain it. After a few seconds of waving the pen- or whatever it was -in the air, he released the button and looked at it.  
>"Nothing sinister here, at least not yet… So why did you bring me <em>here?<em>" He whirled around and addressed the box, as if expecting it to say something back.

Even more questions were fizzing in my brain now.  
>"How did you do that? It's a pen! Are you going to tell me it's got super powers like you apparently do?"<p>

This Doctor-guy turned his head and chuckled. "You hit the nail right on the head with the last part, Payton- it's sonic. But it isn't a pen, it's a screwdriver."

"A _sonic screwdriver_?" I let my disbelief show in every word.

"Yep!"

"Well, I'd better get home before my parents start looking for me." I began backing up slowly. "And before you pull out any other sort of thing that could blow my head off," I added for good measure. By now I had almost reached the edge of the clearing. Once I was out of sight, I told myself, I would run for it.

"It can't blow your head off," the Doctor called after me. "It is very good at locking and unlocking, though, and scanning. But it's not a weapon!"

"I don't care!" Turning my head back to reply, I tripped on a tree root and fell. The leaves hardly broke the fall, since the layer was pretty thin and mainly concealed the pinecones underneath. I rested on my elbows while I checked my hands for damage, which wasn't a very good idea; I saw my hands were cut in several places from the pinecones, and now my elbows would be, too. "Aw, darn it." I muttered under my breath.

"Y' know, if you were really scared of me, you wouldn't let a fall slow you down." Leaves crunched behind me as the Doctor came nearer. He stopped right in front of me and leaned down. "Do you want help up?"

I searched his face for any sign of malice, but I found none. I gave him an embarrassed smile and allowed him to pull me to my feet. While he continued to stand there, I braced myself. Then, when he appeared to be less focused, I kicked out, catching him in the stomach. He gave a startled, "oof!" Before he could do anything, I fled and I didn't look back this time.

I arrived through the back door in less than five minutes. My parents were already sitting down to dinner, saying they knew I was in the forest and they didn't know when I'd be back, since I didn't answer when they called me from the house.

"What happened to your hands?" My dad asked, eyeing my numerous scratches and looking a little concerned.

I tried to make my grin look sheepish. "I just tripped, that's all." It was the truth, more or less. For some reason, I didn't want to tell them about the man I had met. I suppose I just didn't want them to be worried.

"Let me guess: the pinecones- _again."_ My obnoxious little brother piped up. At just eight, he thought he knew everything; therefore he was superior to me.

"Evan, hush now."

_Thank you, Mom!_

Fifteen minutes later, I had located every cut and thoroughly rubbed them with Hydrogen peroxide. Some got Band-Aids. When I finally came back to the kitchen for dinner, I heard my family talking about the gust that had apparently knocked over our next-door neighbor's outdoor kiddie chairs and raised some questions. (The Reynolds' were so paranoid.) As I stood outside the room, I made sure I had my puzzled face on instead of the one that said I knew something; I just didn't want to tell anyone. Evan was perfect at discerning that face, and he had no problem in pointing it out to everyone. I sat down to a bowl of spaghetti and began wolfing it.

My mom looked at me and asked, "Did you feel it? You must have- you were outside when it happened."

"Yeah, yeah." I kept my head down.

"How did you not get blown? Or did you get blown? Is that how you got those- wait, you said you tripped."

"I just grabbed a tree and hung on for dear life."

I suppose she thought I was joking, because she looked at my dad and they laughed. I made a mental note to stay silent the rest of the meal, and I did.

That night, as I climbed into bed, I thought about what had happened a few hours ago. That man -the Doctor, he had insisted I call him- acted so strangely! The first thing he had said was, 'Oh, a human!' As if he weren't. There was the whole, 'traveling across the galaxy' thing, and the box he'd had -the Tartus, or something- it had made that noise, and I was sure it had something to do with the gust of wind that had been so sudden. This all added up to a very odd story, one that couldn't _possibly_ be plausible: An alien whose spaceship had a mind of its own and took him to Earth -to my backyard- instead of the entirely opposite side of the Milky Way!

_Then again…_I remembered how I used to be so young, thinking anything was possible, even aliens. Did I still believe that? _Of course not!_ Such fantasies were for children, not mature teenagers who wanted to stay popular- not that I was, or anything. I had always been an outcast, as tall and pretty as I was, with long hair that tumbled over my shoulders and down my back in silky waves. No, I was one of those people who sit by themselves at a table during lunch with no chances of speaking with anyone else; my only friend, Audrey, didn't have the same lunch block.

_So,_ said the other-me in my mind, _if you have no hopes of being popular, why not go back to believing that?_

_Because it's just plain dumb! No sane fifteen-year-old believes in aliens and spaceships. You might as well suggest there's a monster under my bed!_

Yes, I do argue with myself. It's my way of making any decision; balancing the pros and cons, hearing out both sides of the story without even speaking aloud- another reason I'm not your average Jane Doe.

_Whatever…I'm going to sleep._

I rolled over and turned out the light. I stayed awake for at least another hour, though, just replaying the scene over and over in my head. It was like he wanted me to hear what he was saying, but he also didn't. And why didn't he tell me his name? It couldn't possibly be just, "the Doctor". There were so many questions… Eventually I drifted off.

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><p><strong>Okay, you know what to do...review!<strong> **(Please.)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Can you really picture Moffat giving the rights over to a random person like me? DX**

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><p>I woke up Friday morning to rain drumming on my skylight. Running a hand through my hair, I winced as a few scabs got snagged in the process. <em>Right...<em> I remembered my encounter from the day before. Was I planning on going back into the forest today? I didn't know… It _was_ raining, and- Why was I even thinking about going back there? This man was a complete stranger; an insane one at that! He was probably some infamous rapist who had managed to avoid the police by hiding in a police box… But no one even had those! He would hardly blend in.

I walked down the hall shaking my head. When I went to pour myself a bowl of cereal, I noticed my hands were shaking. I checked my watch: 8:30. My dad was at work, my mom at her book club. I would have enough time, if I really wanted to do this. I knew this was crazy and stupid, but the Doctor had been right- I _wasn't_ that afraid of him, or maybe I was, but for some reason I felt compelled to go back out there. I had to talk to him. Maybe I was going crazy, too.

There was a knock at the door. My heart began to pound as the panic I felt yesterday came back._ What if it's him?_

_Okay, what if it _is_ him? Did he say anything that sounded threatening? No. Did he do anything to hurt you? No. Go ahead, open the door._

_I'm scared, though! I have a bad feeling about this- a really bad one._

_Alright, then, don't answer it. It might not be him, though- just thought I'd put that out there._

Slowly, I began to inch down the hallway. When I turned into the front living room, I was shaking even more. I reached the door and looked through the peephole: a tall and lanky kid with sandy hair was standing on the step. I turned the handle and opened the door a bit.

"Hey…it's Payton, right?" The kid said through the storm door. He gave a half-smile while his hair dripped from the pouring rain. I realized he was Ryan Summers, who had been in my geometry class last year.

I released the door the rest of the way. "Ryan? Why are you out in this weather?"

"I just needed to know if I missed anything in math this past week. I was out of town, in California visiting my dad…" His voice trailed off as his green eyes caught mine.

_What? _"Um, Ryan, I don't know if you've noticed," I laughed, "but it's summer, and it has been for a while now. You didn't miss anything in school because there _was_ no school."

This seemed to take him by surprise. He snapped his head up and stared somewhere over my head as he muttered to himself.

"But there must have been… Mrs. Atkins called me yesterday and told me to talk to someone in the class. She never was a very good teacher, you know." Ryan gave a short laugh.

This unnerved me even more. Did he have some sort of undiagnosed schizophrenia that no one else seemed to notice? "I'm sorry, Ryan, but I don't know what to tell you. There haven't been any classes since mid-June. Wait, do you mean summer school?"

"Oh, God, no!" His eyes bugged out. "I mean _real _school! I make good grades! Why would I have to go there?"

"I didn't doubt you do." I carefully stepped back, grabbing the door. Then a thought came to me. "Tell me, Ryan, what day is it today?"

"Well, it's Friday, duh." He rolled his eyes.

"I mean, what month? What day of the month is it today?"

He thought a second. "It's the twenty-seventh of May."

I stared at him. "It's the twelfth of August."

"No, that's not right. It's May. I know because I left on the twentieth to go to Las Angeles."

"Well, it's August here, so I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for you." Extremely unnerved by now, I began to close the door.

"Wait!" Ryan yanked open the storm door and grabbed the one I was swinging shut with unnatural speed. "You're just going to leave me here in the rain?"

"Seeing that I can't help you," I started, but he fixed his maddened eyes on mine again and I stopped.

"Don't leave me out here!" He shoved the door with such strength I was almost slammed into the wall. Something was definitely wrong with him.

"Listen, uh," words seemed to escape me. "My little brother's asleep. I don't want to wake him up or anything."

"Well, then, Payton, I guess I'll just have to kill you quietly, then." His voice had changed dramatically to a lower pitch, and it sounded more demonic. He grinned at my fear, his eyes shifting from my face to his hand, back and forth. I followed his gaze slowly to see something more like a clawed paw resting on my collarbone, one curved talon flicked up toward my throat.

"I believe you _can_ help me," he continued in his new voice. "Tell me where he is."

_What? What was that all about? What the heck is going on here?_

I took a second before speaking; I was having a little trouble breathing past this giant paw which threatened to crush my windpipe. Ryan wasn't human anymore. His face was still freckly and cute, but both his hands looked like birds' feet and there was a wild look to his eyes.

"Wh-where who is?" Anything to stall for time. Soon my mom would come home and call the police…hopefully.

He released me for a second, only to slam into me again. This time my head hit the wall and a shock of pain issued from the site of impact. I gritted my teeth but didn't let myself weaken.

"You know who I mean. I saw you with him yesterday. You _know_ who I mean_._"

"I honestly don't," I choked out. "And how do you know who I talk to? Are you spying on me?"

_Please, Mom, come up the driveway… Like, now._

"_Don't try to avoid the question!"_ He hissed. "Where is he?"

At a loss for words, I could only look at him. My heart was probably getting tired from bashing my rib cage for so long. My neck hurt from being stretched upward as well as the whiplash. My arms were hanging, useless by my sides.

"Where is the Doctor?"

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><p><strong>This guy's supposed to be random like that. Yeah, it's abrupt and weird and what-the-freaking-heck-...ish? All will be explained later, not to worry.<br>Now, I turn it over to you guys, the readers! Please review! Constructive criticism is warmly welcomed with all my heart! (Hint, hint)**


	4. Chapter 3

**One thing I forgot to tell you: AU because I'm not clever enough to fit River in here. Her personality is too hard for me to capture. Sorry for not saying that sooner for anybody thinking 'where's River?' for any reason. Oh, and, also, Amy and Rory met a very different fate than in the actual show. Again, all will be explained. (That happened about a month before this story starts.)  
>Thanks to OnTheGales for reviewing!<br>Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. I don't own Doctor Who. Wait, let me check- nope, still don't own Doctor Who.**

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><p>"There are many pieces of advice I can give people," a new voice spoke. "Ah, here's one for you: <em>never let your guard down.<em> I see you've already failed that one. _Always expect the unexpected._"

The beast Ryan had become sniffed. His eyes narrowed. The paw twitched.

"_Don't underestimate anyone when they're scared._ Obviously you're doing that. Oh, and _look behind you."_

He slowly turned his head around. Since the claw was still dangerously close to slitting my throat, I didn't dare try to look. When Ryan was fully facing whoever was behind him, I heard a familiar noise- like air vibrating -and he went rigid, clearly surprised. I used that to my advantage to bring my knee up and into his chest. His breath left him with a _whoosh,_ but he remained still, except to drop the arm that pinned me to the wall. I immediately got on the floor and crawled around him to stay out of range of his claws.

"Oh, 'ello, Payton- sorry to burst in on you like this, but, well, you see a person with morphing claws, you just can't resist, am I right?" The Doctor beamed down on me, water streaming from his hair and face. I hastily scrambled to my feet.

"Is he…" I didn't know how to finish that sentence.

He seemed to know what I was trying to say, though. He lowered his sonic screwdriver and Ryan blinked. He saw that I was standing beside the Doctor instead of being trapped and hissed in frustration. He seemed to be debating whether or not to attack.

"Ah, the Doctor...just...the man I...wanted to see." His face, I must say, _was_ rather priceless. It was obvious he'd rather confront the Loch-Ness Monster than the Doctor at that moment. As it was, he seemed to have to remind himself to not step back and show his wavering confidence.

"I can do it again," the Doctor warned, showing Ryan the weapon. That seemed to do the trick, because he wheeled on the spot and- making his paws hands again -tugged the storm door open and ran away through the rain.

After watching him go, the Doctor looked down at his sonic screwdriver and rolled it around in his hand.

"What was he? Why did he want you? How did you do that?" My voice sounded embarrassingly weak and I repeated the questions more loudly.

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "Which one do you want me to answer first?"

"I don't know! Just answer all of them! That- _thing_," I waved my arm, motioning vaguely outside, "just tried to kill me! I think I have a right to know."

"Yes, I suppose you're right." The Doctor gazed outside the streaming glass. "That was an Avexdolus. Their weakness- well, one _I've_ found -is that they can be paralyzed by pointing the sonic screwdriver in their eyes. As for why just about every creature _un_known to man chases me," he stopped and looked around the room, distracted, or maybe just not anxious to answer. "Let's just say I've caused many flaws in their schemes to wipe out all of humanity."

This just leaves me even more confused. "So… you're not human."

"Nope! I never have been, never will be. Well, there was that one time with the Family of Blood, but that hardly counts." He shrugged his broad shoulders dismissively, scattering drops of rain.

That became too much to handle. I backed into a dark orange couch and sat down, cradling my head in my hands. "This…this is insane. One day I'm perfectly normal Payton, the next I'm meeting people who aren't human and having one try to kill me in my own house. How is this possible?"

"Welcome to my world, Payton Lee."

"But why was he trying to kill _me?"_ I shifted my left hand slightly so I could see him.

"He thought you'd know where I was. All he wanted was information." The Doctor strode over. "The problem is Avexdolus don't really know how to be polite. They want something, they'll get it- no matter how they get it. _Ryan_- didn't you call him- was after me, not you. You just happened to be in the way, and he thought you might know something. It's as simple as that, really."

"_Simple?"_ I moved away from him. "I was 'in the way'? In the way of what?"

"Haven't I made that clear already?" He snapped. "He was trying to get to _me_. This always, _always_ happens. Some human has to stick their nose into a world that isn't their own and ends up suffering the consequences. Usually they die. Something kills them because they were too curious. That," he abruptly turned to me, eyes wide, "is why you have to forget about me."

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><p><strong>I know I kinda butchered Latin there, since I switched the adjective and the verb...I just thought it sounded cool. Switch the two and you have what their name means! :D (Okay, okay, I'll just tell you, 'deceptive bird'... though I guess literally it's 'bird deceptive' XD oops.)<br>You know the drill, if you R&R, that means you can't forget the other R...:)**


	5. Chapter 4

**OnTheGales: I agree, which is partly why I love to leave people with them!**

**Disclaimer: For all the jammy dodgers and jelly babies in the world I would not care to own Doctor Who because I would ruin it after two episodes. At the most.**

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><p>"I'm sorry…what?" Had I heard him correctly?<p>

"You need to stay away from me. I'll be gone as soon as I figure out why I'm here. It might be those Avexdolus, actually. Don't tell anyone I was here, and don't go looking for trouble. Don't even _think_ about me. Anything to do with me could attract very bad things. Remember that and hopefully you'll be safe." The Doctor straightened and fixed his coat.

"You're leaving? What about that…Avoxdolus? What if it comes back?"

"Avexdolus- don't worry about him. If there is a next time, you'll know what to expect, I know you can be fast." If not for the fright worming itself into my head, I probably would have laughed, knowing what he was referring to. Instead I stared at the floor, my hands clasped tightly together.

He walked over to the door and opened it slowly. He eyed me as he stepped out, as if waiting for me to stop him or kick him or something. When the storm door hissed shut behind him, I felt a mix of emotions: confusion- there was a lot of that -sadness, fright, frustration that I hadn't asked half of the questions swirling around in my head, anger that he insisted I pretend nothing happened, and still some lingering wariness; he could still be a creeper.

"Payton?"

I turned around to see Evan standing in the doorway in his pajamas.

"Who was that?"

_Oh, God, oh God…_ "Um, just some guy from Window World. He's gone now."

He arched an eyebrow. "You're hiding something. I can always tell."

"Seriously, Evan, it was just a man who wanted Mom and Dad's money. Isn't Arthur on right now?"

"Oh, yeah!" He gave a little leap in the air and ran to the den. _Phew!_ Sometimes I just had to take advantage of his youth.

I walked over to the door, my eyes searching. I saw someone coming around from the side of the yard, and I gasped. It was only my imagination.

_Why do you want to see him again?_

_I don't know… He just saved my life?_

_Not even a day ago, you were running in terror from this man. Are you sure you even want to acknowledge you ever met him?_

I looked at the ceiling while I thought of a reply for my alter-ego or whatever it was I spoke to inside my head. Everything about him had been so bizarre; I found myself doing another check of how many things were wrong with this picture.

_You're probably right; I should just do what he said and try to forget him._

_Knowing you, it'll be highly difficult. You tend to have a very good memory._

_I know. Don't remind me, please._

Then another flash of movement caught my attention- this time it wasn't my mind playing tricks on me. It was in the shadows, under the cedar tree planted by our next-door neighbors. My brain went on hyper-drive, taking in details: it was tall, with sandy hair, green eyes, freckles, and hands that were curling and uncurling. Ryan Summers, the Avexdolus, had come back for more. I watched, holding my breath, as he approached the door with purpose.

Cold fear swept through me. I slammed the door shut, fingers fumbling for the lock. The main door came swinging after it, and I sighed with a feeling of relief.

Of course, Ryan wasn't fooled. He just rang the doorbell. I stood with my back to the door, leaning on it with all my weight. My breath came in loud gasps.

"Payton, are you going to answer the door?" Evan called from down the hall.

I crept out of the living room and said, "It's just that guy again."

Evan frowned. "Why did he come back? Does he like to get soaked?"

"I don't know," I answered. Oh, I knew. I definitely knew. He was coming back for revenge- or to ask again. "I'll remind him we're not interested."

Great- now I _had_ to open the door.

"Payton," Ryan crooned in his annoying voice, "I know you're there. Open up, sweetie. We have to chat!"

"Get lost, loser," I muttered. I knew he could hear me.

"Don't make me tear this door down just to see you. I'd do it for you, you know."

What was this? He was pretending we were in love now? Whoa, I never saw that one coming. This guy was officially creepy.

"Open up, sweetie!" He repeated.

I knew I had no choice but to steel myself again. I placed a hand on the doorknob.

"That's it, sugar."

With a, "hello, sweetie," I wrenched the main door open, pushed the storm door wide, then thrust my foot at his face, expecting to knock him over.

Except he caught my foot in midair.

"Nice try, babe. But it'll take more than that to bring me down." He grinned at me. His nose was very small, I noticed. Then he threw me over his shoulder and sent me flying to crash-land in the wet grass.

I was lying awkwardly, with one leg bent funny. I heard a crack.

_Oh, crud._

Right then, I was too numb to feel the pain, thankfully. I rolled over onto my stomach and pushed myself up with my arms. I stood shakily on my right foot. "Bring it on, jerk."

"Oh, don't tempt me. Boss said I had to keep you alive, as much as I would like to do otherwise."

_He has a boss? This is just great._

I focused all my attention on his face; I was extremely good with observation, so I tried to use this to pick up any details that might hint he was lying. However, he was looking straight into my eyes without widening or narrowing his, he appeared as relaxed as anyone who was considering disobeying orders could be, and he had no sort of tic that acted as his "tell", such as a twitch of the jaw or raising of the eyebrows just slightly.

"In case you were wondering," Ryan informed me, "I came back because I wanted to let you know that the Doctor is gone."

My heart sank. There was no hope for me now. I didn't have anything sonic to shine in his eyes.

"Now you're disappointed!" He stepped across the lawn with three long strides, his claws glinting in the sun, which was trying to break through the rain clouds.

My leg was suddenly giving off flashes of pain like lightning. "Get away from me." I spat through gritted teeth.

"Oh, aren't you the tough one? I'll soon fix that." He teasingly wiggled a claw in my face. I considered biting it, but refrained only because I knew he didn't have any nerves in there.

Instead I ducked under his arm and tried to throw myself onto his back, except my left leg gave out. So, basically, I was just lying there on the ground, trying not to cry from pain.

Ryan doubled over laughing. "What the heck was _that_? You doin' a little fishy impression here? God, that was hilarious. You should've seen yourself!"

I snarled and tried to stand again.

"Oh, no, you don't." he sang, whirling around and kicking me in the head just hard enough that I fell over again. "You try to be so brave, don't you, Payton?"

I glared in reply.

"Now you're not feelin' so hot, now that your hero's gone. He ran away with his little blue box." He sniggered. "Not much of a hero, in my opinion."

_Wait,_ I thought. _He said he wasn't leaving until he found out why he was here. It couldn't take him five minutes to figure that out!_

_Not that he's coming back, though._ I wanted to curl up into a ball and hide myself from the world, but I remembered where I was, and that Ryan was still watching.

"_I know you can be fast."_

Oh, God, why did he have so much confidence in me?

_Because he knows you're brave. _My little alter-ego piped up.

_Well, for once, I'd like to be thought less of. _Another flare from my left leg.

_You can do this, Lee._

_Says who? I'm kind of unable to stand up, forget fighting _this _thing! _I scowled at Ryan.

"Are you gonna get up? Or have I defeated you?" He put so much relish into that word _defeated_. I wanted so badly to wipe the sneer off his freckled face, but as I lifted a hand I saw it shaking and knew I just couldn't do it.

I was beginning to feel cold. I would have thought the adrenaline would keep me warm, but the drenching rain which had by now ceased to a light sprinkle had left me soaked and chilled to the bone.

_Better warm up, then._

_I can do this!_

I got a rapid burst of energy. With Ryan standing so near, I could easily use my good leg to roundhouse him in the ankle. Once he was swearing at me while standing on one foot, I could try to stand again and punch him. Then what? I'd have one powerful, bloodthirsty, and now ticked-off Avexdolus beating me up.

_Well, you can only do what you can do._ I shrugged and then slumped on the ground.

`"Ha! I always knew you were a weak one. You giving up? That'll make this so much easi- _oof!_"

My right leg had shot out and caught him a bit higher than I intended, on the side of his calf. He bent down to inspect it while I pushed off with my hands and resumed my wobbly stance.

"What was that for, you sneaky- argh!" This time I hit him in the head. He staggered backward, moaning. I began a rather ridiculous hop to the front door.

"I'll get you for that!" He roared. He began running. I had no hopes of making it into the house in time.

I was only halfway across the yard when he struck me. All he really did was punch me on the side of the head and I went down like a mountain of bowling balls. Everything hurt. I went numb as Ryan kicked me down the lawn. In fact, all my senses seemed to shut off, until-

"Payton, what's going on?"

We both froze. Evan had poked his head out the door and looked at us with big, brown eyes. They widened even more when he saw the situation.

"Get inside, Evan!" I yelled. "Go! Just get in the house! _Go!"_

Whimpering, he hesitated for a moment, then slammed the door. I was relieved until I saw Ryan's expression.

"He your little brother? He's cute. I bet you would hate to see him all beaten up, crying, wouldn't you?"

"You keep your filthy paws away from my brother. You hear me?" I raised my voice. "_Leave him alone!"_

This just rewarded me with another combat boot to the rib cage. I thought I heard one snap. "You're not exactly in any position to be giving orders here."

_Oh, just shut up._

I'd had it with this idiot. I would have shut him up right then, except I really just couldn't. My adrenaline rush had failed me, and now I was just trying to keep from crying while I was rolled up and down the lawn under his feet- and wondering how the neighbors hadn't noticed anything yet. After what felt like an eternity, it stopped. I had been left on my back, so I lifted my head to see what was going on, since I had a feeling he wouldn't have stopped until I begged for mercy, and maybe not even then. Suddenly I saw a fist coming at my face, claws curled tightly. I turned aside and it somehow struck in the back. Instantly everything went dark.

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><p><strong>Couldn't resist a "hello, sweetie" somewhere in my story. Hope you enjoyed. Please review.<strong>


	6. Chapter 5

**Thanks to my two reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN DOCTOR WHO. I would say 'end of story' except I have to post this every chapter…and this is CERTAINLY not the end of this (vvv) story! Oh, and I don't own Window World, either. (Why would I?) 0_o**

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><p>My mind felt…fuzzy. I heard things as if from underwater: a detached voice, a footstep, a door closing. I opened my eyes a bit. Blinding light made me shut them quickly. Was this some sort of near-death experience?<p>

"Payton."

A voice, suddenly so clear, made me jump. Ignoring the light, I looked around. I was lying on a white bed. The walls were gray and had strange instruments lining them. Everything looked so tidy. My OCD jumped for joy. But…why was I here? This looked almost like a hospital. Was it a hospital? I didn't know. I tried to sit up, but- _ow._ It hurt too much.

"Lie still, Payton. You broke a rib, as well as your left leg."

I couldn't figure out how to find the source of the voice. I frantically moved my head up and down until I remembered I could also move it side to side. My mom sat in a chair next to me, looking concerned.

"Mom," I croaked. The word resonated in my head and sent a dull throb through it. What had made it hurt? Whatever it was, I sure felt like crap. I blinked at her to substitute for words.

She leaned forward and brushed my hair off my face. "Oh, honey, what on earth happened to you? I got a call from Evan saying you were outside talking with a stranger and it looked like he was hurting you. Is that true?"

Oh, _that _was what happened. Well, what could I say? A humanoid creature pretending to be from my school attacked me because of another humanoid creature? Gosh, this was going to be difficult.

"Yeah," I groaned. "There was some guy…said he worked for Window World."

"Really? Was there some sort of truck parked nearby or any other hint he worked there?" Her brown eyes were wide.

I took a moment to act as if I was trying to remember. "Nope."

"Well, what did he look like?"

"Can't remember," I mumbled, shaking my head. It still hurt with every movement, and words made it throb more.

"Surely _something_ stuck- it's very unlike you to not remember anything about someone. You're the most observant person I know. Let's start with his hair: what color was it?"

Once again, I thought: "Um, brown, I think."

"His eyes?"

"…Blue. They were closely set."

"That's it. Was he tall or short?"

"In between- and kinda stocky."

"Did he have any distinguishing marks?"

"Uh…" I rubbed my face with a hand. "I'm pretty sure he had one, a birthmark. It's darker than the rest of his skin. On his arm. Looked sorta like a bird." I traced a swooping hawk on my arm. I had to get the bird part in there somehow.

"How old did he look?"

"Young- like, maybe college-age?"

"Okay. I'll tell the police. They tried to ask Evan questions, but he was way too scared to answer anything."

_The police?_

I gulped. I was lying to the _police_- that could get me into jail. This was all for the sake of what- protecting my dignity?

_No… It's about protecting the Doctor._ I sighed in frustration, which must have sounded like just a plain sigh.

"Are you tired? Concussions can really do that to you. You got one, you know. The doctor-'' I picked my head up- "said it looked like you were punched or hit with a small, hard object." I put it back down. Not that Doctor. "Do you remember that?"

"N-no; I can't think of anything after he started kicking me."

"Well, whatever happened, it must have been quite a blow to knock you out for as long as it did." She leaned back and crossed her arms.

Panic flashed through me. "How long?"

"About a day and a half- it's Saturday afternoon."

_Oh, no! No! No!_ I sat up and put my head in my hands, then had to lie back down due to the stabbing pains in my side. _He could be gone already… Crap._

"By the way," my mother continued, "you were cracking us all up earlier, calling for the doctor."

I froze.

"You were just lying there asking, 'Where's the doctor?' She came in and told you she was right there, but you insisted you needed to see the 'other' doctor. It was funny."

Turning my head, I hoped I wasn't flushing. God, why did I have to say everything?

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><p><strong>Okay, pathetic excuse for a chapter. My apologies. I'm not perfect. It was either have a short chapter and then a medium chapter after that, or one reeeeally long chapter...<br>By the way, I decided that this is going to be a two-part story at least! Otherwise this one would be extremely lengthy and it would probably turn readers off. Hopefully I won't write a crappy sequel. Review, please! Some constructive criticism would be nice.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: The reason I'm posting this in FANfiction is because I am a FAN, not a PRO WRITER.**

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><p>My recovery in the hospital only took two more days, but it felt a lot longer. While I stared glumly at the wall, I repeatedly asked myself why I missed the Doctor. He could still be a bad guy. I tried to push that idea out of my head. Of course, he's not. Of <em>course<em>, he's not. Whenever the nurse cheerfully announced I had a visitor, I craned my neck and hoped it would be him, mostly since I wanted to prove to him I wasn't strong enough to fight an Avexdolus by myself. It was always a friend, though, which was still nice. Audrey came a total of three times. The first time she came, I asked if my parents could let us talk. Just the two of us.

I told her the story- the whole story. She listened attentively, reacted the right way in the right parts, and seemed to get it.

"So, this Doctor-guy," Audrey gave one of her excited smiles. "He's not human?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"He has a blue box which he calls the Tartus and may or may not be his spaceship. You do realize this sounds nuts, right?"

I gave a sigh. This was the reaction I dreaded most.

"You sure you're not making this up?"

"I'm _positive,_ Audrey. Why would I lie to you?"

"Well," she put her hands in the air dramatically, "you got a pretty bad concussion, which could have made you a little loopy. I'm just saying it could have all been a dream."

"It- was- _real!"_ I had to grit my teeth against the shock my ribs sent me.

"Whoa, Payton, chill! I'm only saying it sounds highly unrealistic and I might need to see some proof before I believe you. I'm not saying you're a liar, I just think that maybe whatever hit you may have addled your brain a bit."

"Oh, you want proof? _This_-'' I pointed to my gigantic, blue cast, which she had dutifully signed in black Sharpie- "is proof! That Avexdolus did this to me! He seriously picked me up and threw me! I didn't have a sonic screwdriver to shine in his face, I don't know what the Doctor was thinking, leaving me to fight him, and so I got beaten up! I am living proof this all happened!" I leaned back on the fluffy, white pillow and squeezed my eyes shut. I had to stop yelling like this.

Audrey coolly flicked a lock of dark blonde hair over her shoulder and waited a few moments while I calmed down. When I had, she continued:

"Right. So, this Avexdolus- are you sure it's really Ryan Summers?"

I nodded.

"Okay, that's just a little bit creepy…so all those cheerleaders who chase after him in the hallways would be so freaked out if they saw those claws!"

"Or they would just be turned on," I pointed out. We looked at each other and laughed, thinking of those cliché vampire and werewolf romance books.

"So, you said he sounds British?" Audrey continued when we were finally able to stop chuckling.

"Yeah, he does. I've always loved British accents." It was true; any accent that wasn't my own sounded cool.

"I wish I could have met him," she sighed. "He sounds really interesting."

"And just plain bizarre! Plus, I always try to remind myself that he might not be who he says he is."

Audrey nodded. "Yeah, you're right. But still…"

That was when my parents came in and our top-secret conversation ended- for then. The second and third times we discussed everything in great detail, but got nowhere in our theories and hypotheses.

On the day I went home, I immediately broke out the laptop. It was time to find out if anyone else had seen this guy.

_The Doctor_, I typed into the Google search bar. The screen showed thousands of links to hospitals, retirement homes, and medical blogs.

_Avexdolus_, I tried. It asked me, '_Did you mean alveolus?'_

Hitting my head, I typed in, _The Doctor +blue box._

I found nothing. No matter what I tried, it either gave me "normal" responses or an error. I gave up after about an hour of unproductivity. As I was shutting down my computer, I heard a chorus of crickets; my cellphone was ringing.

"Hey, it's Audrey." Her low but cheerful voice sounded on the other end.

"Hi, Audrey, what's up? Did we not talk enough this morning?" We laughed, knowing that we could never talk enough.

"Did you say he wore a brown jacket?"

"Who, the Doctor? He did. Boots, too, and he had funny hair… Oh, and a bowtie."

There was a gasp on the other line. "I think I saw him!"

"_What?"_ I nearly dropped the phone. "Where did you see him? Did he talk to you? Did he even see you?"

"He didn't see me, I don't think."

"What was he doing?"

"I…don't know. I was actually going to your house to show you something when I saw the blue box. Then he came around the corner, looking on the ground like he was trying to find something and I got a little freaked out and ran."

"So he's still here." I felt a little relieved.

"Yeah, he is. But I _have_ to show you this! I'm just kind of nervous to go back out there in case I run into him again."

Something hummed in the back of my mind; this was going to be important. How could I _know_ these things? "What is it?"

"Um," she hesitated, seeming wary. "I don't really know. I was trying to get some pictures of myself outside for my Geek Club profile and I saw something glinting in the leaves down the street so I went over and picked it up. I realized it looks just like the thing you described. You know, the sonic thing."

"You found his sonic screwdriver?" I was glad she couldn't see my gaping. "Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure this is it, although I never saw it, but going by your description… Let's see: a green film where a light would shine out, silver all over; probably made of titanium or stainless steel, a button on top- what did you say it does?" I heard a noise- not a good one- then, "Oh, crap!" Then there was silence.

"Audrey? Audrey, are you there? What happened? What was that sound?"

I knew Audrey was there; she just didn't want to tell me what I already knew, which was that a rare occurrence had happened where she did something stupid. "That was…a hole being burned in my desk."

"_Audrey!_ I _told_ you he wasn't too clear on everything it could do…"

"…And now my parents are going to kill me. Thanks."

"Hey! It's not like I made you do that!"

"I know, I know…God, this is amazing! How many people get the opportunity to handle such fascinating equipment as this?" That was Audrey for you; frustrated and freaked out one minute, saying she feels so honored the next. "I mean, really, this is truly awesome, this is-''

"Audrey." I suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"-And the whole mechanism is- hm?"

I pictured Ryan Summers keeping to the shadows, waiting for the right moment. "He's in danger."

"Oh…"

"We have to give this back to him, pronto." I ignored the indignant muttering and began thinking of some plans.

"I kinda wanted to show my Geek Club."

"Audrey! This is very important! Ryan Summers is _deadly_, and apparently he has a boss! I'm sure they're both out to kill the Doctor. It could be a life-or-death decision here that we get this to him. I'm sorry, but there's no time to take this to online show and tell."

I heard a long sigh. "I understand, it's just…I've never seen anything like it. Besides, how are you going to return this on crutches?"

Gosh, she had a point. I was pretty much useless with a broken leg. I glared at the cast wrapped around my tibia.

"Plus he said to leave him alone…"

"-But I think he would appreciate it if I saw him long enough to return something that could save his life."

"How are we going to do this?"

Now it was my turn to sigh and lean back in my chair. "I have absolutely no idea. My parents aren't going to let me go outside, especially in the woods, and the last thing I need is to be grounded."

"That's hardly stopped you in the past," Audrey pointed out.

"In the past I didn't have a broken leg."

"Oh, God." I pictured her putting her head in her hands. "There's no way this is possible."

I had nothing to say; this was pretty much hopeless-

"Um, Audrey? I think you should probably get that."

"I should get what?"

"Isn't your doorbell ringing?"

"No…must be on your side."

I straightened and prepared to grab my crutches.

"I think you should get it. It might be him. Don't let _anyone_ else answer it!"

"_I'll get it!"_ Evan belted out as he slid in his sock feet to the front room.

"I think it's too late for that, Audrey."

"Well, go, quick!" She hung up.

I leaned forward and got my crutches, then began my slow procession down the hallway. When I reached the front room, I poked my head out from behind the wall to see a tall, redheaded man with black glasses at the door.

"Is Payton there, by any chance?" He sounded Irish.

"Um, my parents told me not to talk to strangers." Evan looked scared.

"Well, I'm going to talk with your big sister, anyway, so it all works out, doesn't it? She'll know me. I was her science teacher last year." The man looked over in my direction. I ducked my head in at the last second. Had he winked? I shuddered.

"_Payton!"_ Why did my little brother have to be so darn loud?

I clunked into the room, clumsy and awkward.

"Payton, hello!" The guy seemed happy to see me. As he smiled, the hairs on the back of my neck started to rise.

"Um, Mr. C…hi." I didn't want Evan to worry, so I made it up. Obviously, the man knew I didn't know him and that I had been listening.

"What happened to you? How are you?" He beckoned me to come outside with him. Out of stupidity, I followed. Once we were outside with both door closed I faced him.  
>"Okay, who are you?"<p>

He laughed. "You've heard about me. Who was that kid you know from school…was Ryan his name? Yes, I believe he mentioned me once to you."

A cold dread filled my veins.

"Of course, he'd have to say that. He can't disobey _me_." The man chuckled and carelessly flicked out his claws.

"You're one of them, too!" I gasped, feigning surprise. I had no idea what he was going to do to me, but I figured more stalling for time could never hurt.

"Yes, yes I am. Why did you think they had a _human_ boss?" He sneered. "And your little tricks won't work on me. I couldn't _possibly_ forget what I'm here to do. It's _much_ too important."

I blinked and there was a glinting black claw under my chin. _Again._

"You will come with me. Do not resist."

I raised an eyebrow. "Or what, Obi-Wan?"

Suddenly he lunged forward and yanked my injured leg upward until it felt like it was about to be dislocated. "This happens."

I bit my lip so I wouldn't cry out. As soon as he dropped my foot, I began thinking of ways to escape, or at least make it so I didn't go down without a fight.

Right after I finished that thought, something hit me on the head in the same spot as last time and I passed out- again.

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><p>…<strong>So the Doctor and the Pope walk into a bar. The Doctor says- AUDIENCE? When did you get here?<strong>

**Okay, more or less seriously now...REVIEW! PLEEEASE! Thanks to OnTheGales and animemonkey13 (OnTheGales for TROLLING!) XD I kid, we actually know each other. 0_e ANYWAY, review! I would like some constructive criticism!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey, another chapter! :D And animemonkey13, you are correct.**

**Disclaimer: I don't think Moffat would go by a pen-name that has to do with singing birds, do you? 0_o**

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><p>I woke to an eerie silence. My back was against something hard and flat. My hands were by my sides, chained there. I tried to move, but I was bound at the ankles, too. Looking around, I saw I was in a room with bare, gray-brown walls and wood floors that needed to see a mop -at least- as well as some anti-termite stuff, if there's such thing. Something reeked of paint thinner.<p>

As I struggled against the plastic cords, I tried to piece together what had happened: the guy who pretended to be my teacher was actually Ryan -the Avexdolus'- boss, he hit me with something and I passed out… Adrenaline spontaneously burst through me and I began struggling even more. Noises like a cornered wild animal would make escaped my mouth, but I hardly cared. After a few minutes, I started to have the idea this was utterly futile- just as the door opened and a woman who looked like she could be a supermodel stepped daintily in. What was it with these people that they had to look good? Turning to face me, she flipped her golden hair with a well-manicured hand and grinned with perfect teeth. These people also smiled a lot.

"So you're the one making all the trouble! I heard from Lucas you wouldn't cooperate- you know you could've just told him what he wanted to know, right?" Her voice was like silk. Is it at all strange that I notice these things?

I raised my chin. "How do you know that? You one of them, too?"

"Oh, no, no, no," she laughed. "I'm just the pretty girl they keep around. I proved useful for them. You could do that, too, you know."

"How?" I had a feeling this conversation was about to go steeply downhill.

"Tell them everything. All Lucas wants; all he's _ever_ wanted is to find the Doctor. He's devoted his entire life to this one task, and you, my dear- _you_ could be the one who makes all his dreams come true, all his work to be worthwhile!"

Yep. I was right. It was time to start planning. If I could get her to release me, I could sprint- no, wait, my leg…was fixed! I stared, dumbstruck, at my jeans, where underneath, I knew was a perfectly straight leg.

"They figured you'd be more likely to respond better if you weren't in pain the entire time, so they did that. Frankly, I think it could've been great for torture." Another thing all these people had in common: they all tend to talk too much.

"How about you take the cords off me and then I talk?" I gave her my best smile.

-Which just made her laugh.

"You think I'm that stupid, huh? Let you go on the condition that you'll say everything you know and _bam_, you're gone! No, honey, I'm afraid no one here is that gullible."

_Crap._

"Well, if I'm stuck here, we might as well get to know each other. What's your name?"

"Marcy." Marcy paused to run a finger along her eyeliner. "You're Payton, I presume?

I widened my eyes. "No, _duh_, unless my brain got put in another person's body…" I looked down and dramatically widened my eyes. "Oh, my God, did it happen _again?_"

Ignoring me, Marcy walked over to a dusty, moth-eaten chair and sat down, making a face; obviously she wasn't too pleased to mess up her coral-colored dress.

"So, Payton, now that we're friends, will you tell _me_ what they need to know?"

_Friends?_ As my answer I pressed my lips tight.

"I see. Well, Lucas will be here in the evening. For now," she stood and walked up to something behind me. I heard a lever being pulled, then Marcy ran away on her little coral heels. "Sleep tight," she sang. The door moaned shut behind her. I watched the dust settle, then everything faded away.

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><p><strong>Another really short one, I'm sorry! Same reason as the last one. Please, please review! And criticize me! (Okay, <strong>_**constructively.)**_** But please! Review!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: The reason I write this kind of stuff is because I can't write it officially. (A way of saying ****I ****don't ****own****.)**

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><p>"I'm sorry, Lucas, but she wouldn't tell me anything. I tried, I swear I did!"<p>

"Try harder next time, will you? It seems you can never get anyone to talk!"

"There was that one boy…"

"Well, yeah, any _boy_ would talk!"

The first thing I heard was a pair of muffled voices coming from the other side of the heavy wooden door. I went to brush a stray lock of hair off my face except I remembered my wrists were still clamped down. As my head cleared I tried once again to free myself, of course to no avail. Shortly there was a slow, long creak and then the Avexdolus-boss was standing there, smirking.

"I win," he stated, crossing his arms.

My reply was to- without any hesitation- spit in his direction. He looked from me to the floor with disdain and some amusement.

"Quite the feisty one, eh?" The man laughed. "Worry not, I'll soon take care of that. But, you know," he looked like he was about to sneeze from the dust, "you can still make this a whole lot easier on both of us and just tell me what I need to know. What do you say?" I glared at him, still trying anything to get out, even things from movies. Of course, nothing worked. So I shook my massive blonde mane and grinned evilly.

"I think messing with you is a bit more fun, _eh_?"

His expression changed to that of a scowl. "Oh, come now, I really don't want anyone to get hurt. I want what I've worked so hard for." He took a step closer and repeated, "Just tell me what I want to know. Then this'll all be over. You can go- more or less free"- he sniffed- "and I'll be happy. You don't want to see me angry, I think. Do you?"

"Ironically, Lu…" I trilled innocently. I wasn't too good at this kind of thing, but sometimes you just have to be in the situation to perfect it. So far, I didn't think I was exactly horrible.

The "Lu" thing got him right ticked off. "You will call me _Sir,_ do you understand?"

"Aw, but 'Lu' sounds so cute! You should really let your girlfriend out there call you that. I'm sure she would soak that right up. Besides, it suits you. You're better at being cute than you are at being tough, _eh?_"

He took a deep breath, clearly trying not to let the frustration show. Then he more or less lost it. "Don't change the subject on me! If you had any idea whatsoever how long I have been waiting for this man, getting my hands"- I laughed aloud at that one- "on everything I could find about him, just plotting, planning, in wait for the Doctor, you'd understand."

"So, basically what you're saying," I retorted, "is that you've been pretty much stalking him for…how long? Anyway, I actually would never understand because I don't act like a freaking _rapist._"

"_You know that's not what I meant!"_ He roared. I wrinkled my nose.

"You're breath smells really bad, did you know?"

He narrowed his eyes, looking a bit like Evan when he pouts.

"You know I'd never in my right mind tell you anything about the Doctor or his location."

"Oh, really?" He abruptly turned and walked out of sight. I tried to turn my head but it was too dark to see anything over to my left shoulder anyway. Then I froze as he came back into view with a glass bottle with clear liquid in it labeled:

_Hydrochloric acid_-** DANGEROUS!**

I gulped but somehow managed to somewhat keep my composure. Still, I couldn't help but think about how oddly predictable this all was- some boasting, some questioning; if that was unsuccessful, it lead to some sort of obscure torture. Next would come some threats, then finally...hopefully he'd find me useless and send me away- hopefully.

_Hopefully._

"This substance is the most potent stuff you humans have. One drop," the Avexdolus unscrewed the cap, "can burn a hole through almost anything in just a few seconds."

Smiling, he tilted the glass bottle until a single droplet slid over the edge. It landed with a plop on the wood. Immediately bubbles erupted from the surface and the area began fizzing madly. When it died down, a clean hole had formed in the floor.

"Now," the voice startled me, "imagine that happening in _you_. I have a feeling you don't want that."

I was having a really hard time being calm. "Ha, well, you do know, uh, sounds like fun, right?"

"Is that so?" Another smile worked its way onto his face. "Well, then, I suppose you want to find out now, eh?"

"Uh, no," I stuttered. "I was just…Speaking my thoughts aloud." _And being an absolute idiot, _I said- inside my mind.

Lucas shrugged. "Well, unless you tell me something…" He motioned from the bottle to my foot.

I lifted my chin and hoped he wouldn't actually have the guts to do it.

He stepped closer.

I remained silent for about a solid minute.

He came closer. The cap came off again.

I raised an eyebrow and watched him.

He held it over my foot and began to tilt.

"Wait!" I suddenly burst out, immediately cursing myself for being a wimp.

The acid stopped tilting toward me.

"What, are you finally going to speak up?"

My jaw tightened, but I had to try and get past it. This could be saving my life. (_But ruining his_, I thought.) "He's still there, were he's been for a while, as far as I know."

"Good, good, and what is his current situation like?"

"You mean, like…what he's wearing? What he's planning to eat for lunch tomorrow? What?"

"I mean like his safety," Lucas growled.

"Right, I get it now." I sighed and then continued with my strong but silent act.

This time there was no slow procession; I blinked once and there was a hiss issuing from the top of my sneaker. I tensed up in an instant and watched as a hole formed, but thankfully it stopped there.

"I can make it go further if you do not cooperate." He used his wrist to fix his glasses since both hands were holding the bottle. The lenses caught the eerie light.

"He hasn't got his screwdriver!" I yelped, thoroughly terrified. The other-me had no words of rebuking since apparently it was scared out of its wits too.

Lucas looked startled. "He hasn't got his what?"

"His- his sonic screwdriver- it's what protects him from people like you. He doesn't have it. He dropped it."

"So he's defenseless. Is that what you're saying?" His voice began to rise from excitement. There was a grating noise as he set the bottle down.

I nodded, hating myself with a burning passion. Lucas got up and strode towards the door, almost dancing with joy.

"I must inform them! You just, er, sit here, we'll decide your fate once the pest is dead."

I already knew I didn't want to know who "they" were. But…dead? Did they really have to kill him? Just because…my train of thought derailed as Lucas yanked the door open and went to tell Marcy, who was down a narrow hall. Her eyes shone as he told her the news and she clasped her hands.

Then I heard quick footsteps approaching from the right side of the corridor. Since Lucas had left the door open, I could see a blond boy come running up. I stiffened as I recognized Ryan.

"We have a bit of a problem, sir," he said in a rushed tone. The rest was whispered, but Lucas' reaction was information enough.

"_What?_ What do you mean he's _here_?" I wished I had hands to clap over my ears. The whole place all but shook. Lucas slowly turned and my heart sank into my toes, which were losing feeling.

"You," he growled.

_Oh, God,_ I thought. "Sir, I was telling you what I knew. I didn't know he wasn't where I last saw him, I swear!"

"You _lied_ to me!" He roared.

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><p><strong>Review! Tu opinión cuenta! Votre avis? <strong>**確認****！****Recensie! ****סקירה****! Granska! ****評論****！****Pregled! ****Обзор****! ****REVIEW!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own a laptop on which to write, but not a show which to write.**

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><p>I noticed his glasses were slipping. "You little fiend, were the threats not enough for you? You just had to sit there and lie through your teeth! I'm going to show you what happens to people who-"<p>

"Lucas," Marcy spoke gently. She put a hand on his shoulder and said something in his ear. He pulled away, nodding.

"Right then," he sighed, "change of plan. You're actually going to be useful!"

"Oh, I am absolutely _delighted!_ Allow me a moment to celebrate." I put all dignity aside for a second and danced as well as I could in my restraints, humming a little made-up tune. Maybe I was still a bit loopy.

He gave me the death glare. "I've decided to spare your life _only_ if you obey me. Is that clear?"

"Clear as bean soup!" I nodded dumbly, still humming.

It was obvious he'd rather throttle me, but he kept a sunny attitude. "You're going to help us with a little plan, will you not?"

"I'm putting my vote in for 'not', thank you verra much," I remarked snidely- in my best Elvis impression on the last bit. I stopped dancing.

He sniffed, but otherwise ignored me. "You're going to help set up a bit of a trap, you see, a trap for the Doctor!"

I gave a snort. "Yeah, have fun with that."

The lesson learned by every bad guy in stories all over is: never, _ever_ tell the hostage there's a trap! It basically just guarantees they'll tell the rescue team when they get there and the whole plan will be foiled. He seriously didn't see that one coming?

"It _can_ work and it _will,_" he hissed. Regaining composure in an instant, he smoothed both his suit and his tone of voice. "Now, let's go over some boundary rules."

I sulked.

"First: you will obey everything I tell you to do or else-"

"-Or else what?" I tried not to remember what had happened the first time I said that.

He held up the bottle of Hydrochloric acid. "This." He set it back down. "Second, you will be quiet when I am speaking."

I straightened up and began mouthing quite a few choice words at him.

"Like that, good!"

It was my turn to mutely scowl.

"Third, you may _not_ say anything to your…friend, except what I tell you to. Got that?"

I nodded, still unusually silent.

"Alright, I suppose that covers the big ones. Now, I believe we are slightly pressed for time, so you'd better pay attention the first time I say this."

I smiled and batted my eyelashes. "Go on, Lu."

He clenched his jaw. "Marcel."

She tiptoed in on her little clippity-cloppity shoes. "Yes, sir?"

"You're going to be the distraction. Go in the hall and hold him up, hear? Just...er, use your _charm_, shall we say."

Marcy obediently stepped outside and walked away.

"_Ha!_" I laughed. "Do you really think he's going to fall for that one? I mean, I don't know," I shook my head so a stray lock of hair would fall over my shoulder, "but he doesn't seem like the flirtatious type, if you know what I mean."

I received a slap to the face. I turned my head in an attempt to lessen the impact but ended up hitting the other side on the slab I was tied to.

"Ouch!"

"I _told_ you," he whispered furiously, "not to speak unless spoken to, brat."

"And you _really_ thought I would listen?"

Lucas took a step back, stroking his red beard. _That seems so stereotypical,_ I thought, trying not to grimace while the right side of my face throbbed. Of course Irish people are going to have red hair. Some Scots, too.

"Anyway," he continued, "while Marcel is out there, er, buying us time, I will be setting up an ambush in this very room! All of our forces, coming together to capture the…creature we've been after for this long of a time…" Lucas suddenly gave a start as he realized he was smiling and gazing somewhere over my head. "So we'll have an ambush set up, yes, an ambush, and when he comes in here, he'll see you. You're the second distraction."

"Second is the best," I say in my most obnoxious third-grader voice.

He was trying to ignore me. "You must tell him nothing about us, _nothing_! Nothing at all or you know what I'll do to you after we're through."

"I know _nothing!_" I belted out, now impersonating Sergeant Schultz from an old show called Hogan's Heroes.

It was lost on him. "As soon as they sense him, they will attack him. You are to stay put until the beast has been dragged out of here with shackles on his feet. Do you understand so far?"

I stuck my tongue out. In the blink of an eye, he had lunged forward and scratched my arm from my shoulder to my elbow. Immediately a searing pain ensued, and I stifled a scream.

"Holy mother of"-

"Will you shut up?" He gritted his teeth in anger while I tried not to look at the red line on my arm which was bleeding.

I was beginning to doubt this whole situation; what if it didn't work out? Why did I have so much trust in the Doctor in the first place?

"In here!" Lucas had run to the doorway and given a loud whisper, waving his arm. I figured the Doctor must have still been around the corner or something.

In a flood, the Avexdolus poured in through the doorway and moved in somewhere behind me, in the shadows. They were as silent as ghosts. I suppressed a small shudder. None of them looked in my direction, save for the very last one to enter:

"Well, well, well," he said softly. His blonde hair was neatly combed, his green eyes flashed with dark humor. "Look at what we have here."

"Bug off, Ryan," I muttered.

"I'm sorry, what was that, sweetie?"

I curled my lip in disgust. "I said bug _off._ I'm sick of you. Get to where you're supposed to be. Don't you have a _plan_ to be attending to?"

Ryan threw me a look of mock-anger. "Aw, the little prisoner's giving me orders now. That's not very nice." I got a kick to the shin.

_That's going to be a bruise,_ I thought. He laughed quietly and assumed his position with the others.

It seemed like it was an eternity of silence. We all just sat there, holding our breath. The Avexdolus quickly lost interest and began talking amongst themselves, apparently hiding in boxes or crates in the back of the room. I wondered where Lucas was. Maybe he was off slacking while his pawns did all the work.

After what could easily have been an hour, I heard soft but steady footsteps. I strained my ears to hear, and prayed that no one else detected them.

"You shouldn't have done that," I heard a recognizable voice say. "I mean it; that could have been taken care of using alternate methods. I'm not exactly a big fan of violence."

_It's a trap,_ I thought towards the Doctor. I wished he could hear me. _It's a trap. Don't go in that room right there. Right here. It's a trap._ _It's a trap!_

Suddenly I heard a gasp from outside.

"Ah! It's been a while since I've gotten a message!" There was a whisper. It was him!

My heartbeat quickened- no, not like _that_, you mad romance-lovers- and I fidgeted excitedly, even though I knew bad things were about to happen. He'd come to rescue me!

_But who is he talking to?_

"'It's a trap. Don't go in that room. It's a trap!'" He sounded confused.

What? What? _What?_

"What's that mean?"

_That voice…Audrey?_

"Well, obviously," the Doctor informed her, his accent making him sound way too snobby for his own good, "it means that somebody doesn't want us to go in that room right there, somebody who _really_ doesn't want us there, enough that the energy from their thoughts transferred itself onto this paper here."

"What is that?"

"It's psychic paper! Anyway, er, I think the person's talking about that room."

"The one on the left?"

"I'd guess so." They stopped. "Shall we go in?"

"It says it's a trap, though!"

"You guys are really bad at whispering," I remarked, meaning it to be directed at the two outside, but the others thought I was talking to them.

"Sorry," somebody stage-whispered. I rolled my eyes.

"Payton?" There was another murmur from the hall.

"Is that really her, Doctor?" My friend's voice rose.

He must have nodded because I heard a gasp. Right now all I could think about was how lucky they were right then that the creatures tracking them had short attention spans.

_Yeah, it's me,_ I thought towards him, hoping it would work a second time, _but they're all in here with me. Doctor, Audrey, don't come in here. I'm serious. They want to kill you. They're bent on it. Please, don't come for me…_

Unable to come up with anything else, I sighed and leaned back, feeling the sensitive area on my shoulder itch and burn.

"But…" Audrey's reaction came through.

There may or may not have been some charades going on.

"There's no plan, is there?"

"That's the way I do things, Miss Fuller!"

I couldn't help a grin. That was the Doctor, alright, if anything else hadn't been pointing to that.

Suddenly he was there, wearing the exact same outfit I'd last seen him in, looking just as much like a little kid who heard he was getting a puppy as ever.

"Hello, Payton!" He whispered excitedly.

Audrey moved out from behind him, her eyes wide. "Payton, is that really you?"

"I told you not to come in," I hissed. Why would no one ever listen? "They've set you up for slaughter!"

The Doctor just shrugged. "They'll have fun with that, _won't you, Avexdolus?" _The last part came as a yell, a challenge.

_You are an absolute idiot,_ I thought, this time not at him, though. I kept it in my head.

Quickly the beings, now silent as the wind in a place with no trees, moved out of the shadows and stepped toward him, claws out. Audrey gasped.

I could only give them a look of, _I told you so._

"And look who the cat dragged in," a suspiciously Irish sounding voice spoke. Lucas strode into the doorway with a smirk on his face. "Oh, Doctor- I was beginning to think I'd never see this day."

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><p><strong>I'm not the best for writing humorous interrogation scenes, but I'm trying my best, so if it sounds really lame, please forgive me. I'm not perfect. Oh, and thank you, James Patterson (even if you're a really bad author) for giving me the idea to make this scene funny. I kinda took one of his lines but tweaked it a teensy bit. "Clear as <strong>_**pea**_** soup" was his...**

**Review, please...? Thank you, animemonkey13 and OnTheGales for reviewing and keeping me motivated to write! **

**FYI, I'm now up to the point where I'm writing the chapters as I upload; before I was putting up ones I'd written a while ago, so don't expect new ones every day or even every other day...sorry about that. I tried to avoid this, but I got excited.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hey, I'm back...sorry I haven't uploaded. Like I said, now I'm writing as I upload so it'll be a heck of a lot longer of a wait for each chapter. Sorry if this one kinda sucks. Mid-year exams suck more. And take up my precious time.**

**Oh, and thank you, Winged'Pollution, for reviewing! That was really helpful and now that I'm revising this (well, mostly revising the A/N) after a few more months of experience I can tell you that I'll work on making them ^^^ less annoying. These might be slightly because I just don't feel like giving them an overhaul right now. I kept some of the necessary stuff and deleted a lot of rubbish. So…I'm working on it.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own, not even for a nanosecond.**

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><p>Lucas turned and faced his comrades:<p>

"Take her into the room next door, don't let her get away." He nodded at me as he spoke. Then he swung to look at Audrey.

We exchanged fearful glances as I felt the tight restraints on my arms coming undone. I ignored the bird-people.

"As for this one- er, put her in the far corner. We'll take care of her later."

"_NO!"_ Audrey screeched as they began to lead her away. "Doctor, help me! _Help!_ Get off me, you avian freaks! _Payton!"_

I could only watch, unable to help her.

They remained silent, but moved quickly to move her to the back wall, which I could see now had an old-fashioned set of shackles attached. Those were for Audrey, I realized.

Suddenly I found myself sliding towards the ground. Surprised, I let loose a shriek, then hit the floor and fell, my feet still numb from the cords. Two pairs of hands roughly picked me up by the arms and began dragging me towards the door. My shoulder sent bolts of pain. I ground my teeth, but it was almost impossible to not cry out as I was unceremoniously escorted down the hallway by the two Avexdolus whom I couldn't even see.

I was led into a room about half the size of the first one, but just as dusty. One Avexdolus stayed outside while the other followed me into the room and closed the door. With a turn of his claw he locked it, and I wondered how big the keyhole must have been that he could fit it in there.

While the walls were thick, I could still here my friend screaming at the top of her lungs.

"_Payton, how can you let them do this? You should have said something to them! Now they're gonna kill us! PAYTON!"_

I felt horrible. It was true. How come I _hadn't_ said anything to them that might have convinced them to let us go?

"Why won't you let us go?" I asked the guard. I figured it might be worth a shot.

He stayed completely silent, only giving me a blank look.

I wanted to punch him in, well, a place where the sun don't shine, but I couldn't due to my arm and the fact that I was left-handed. I could kick, though…I pushed the thought away. There was no way out- not yet, anyway.

Wanting to hear what was going on, I pressed my ear against the wall. Lucas's voice was sounding arrogant as ever, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. Then the Doctor made some sort of retort; his voice rose sharply. That was followed by a whining noise, distorted by the wall. What _was_ that?

I came to realize there was total silence in the room…except for a quiet laughing. All senses except for my hearing seemed to freeze and crash.

_Something bad must be happening. Something really bad must be happening, and I can't even do a freaking thing. Audrey's right. They're both going to die. And here I sit…doing nothing. Nothing! I- am- so-_ I hit myself in the head with every word- _freaking- useless!_

The laughter increased in volume, until it resonated throughout the place. I involuntarily shuddered.

"Man, that was easy."

_Wait…_

That was my friend's voice.

_What the heck is going on in there?_

"Alright, let's blow this popsicle stand!"

The guard appeared unperturbed. He slowly reached over and undid the lock, deliberately looking over at me as he did it. The door swung open with an ominous creak- of course- and he stepped back, leaving the passageway free; the other guard was nowhere to be seen.

"You're- you're…"

_Is this for real? Is _any_ of this for real?_

The man just shrugged. "I don't really like my job here much anyway. Boss was too concerned about catching that guy. Personally, I just liked life back on home on Itho."

_Because there's always the one who is secretly working for the protagonist and keeps it from everybody until the very climax,_ I thought as I stepped out.

When I walked into the larger room everyone was completely still. I blinked: still…er, still. Some were clearly ready to attack, with their claws out, making snarling faces at the Doctor, who was standing there, calmly regarding them. Lucas had a sneer, but his eyes betrayed an obvious sense of fear he was feeling presently.

I looked in the far corner to see…Audrey grinning her fool head off.

Holding the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, thumb planted on the silver button.

"Hey," she smirked.

I returned a wan smile.

"So…what do we do from here?" My voice almost shook as I tried to hide the pain I was feeling.

The Doctor suddenly whirled across the room, his tweed coat flapping slightly behind him. "Uh, I'm not completely sure, but I do think that if we proceed to leave the room, the paralysis caused by the sonic will rapidly lose effect since it's no longer within eyesight. Well, some of them might remain frozen, but others who were closest to Audrey will not. So, I'd say…" he smiled. "I'd suggest we run."

Audrey looked at the 'sonic', as he had called it. "Run?"

I eyed her, then the Doctor, then the Avexdolus. "Run."

Suddenly the green light flickered. The whirring stopped. We exchanged horrified glances as chaos erupted.

"_Run!"_

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><p><strong>I apologize for the inadequate length; not much time to write, plus a minor case of writers' block. Not fun, to say the least.<strong>

**Please review...**


	12. Chapter 11

**Thanks to everybody for the loverly, supporting reviews! I am happy to say I'm back in action. So...here's the actual 11th chapter!**

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><p>Lucas went, obviously, for the Doctor, hissing so stereotypically. Audrey tinkered with the screwdriver, whipping out a real screwdriver (how does she stash so much mechanical crap in her pockets…) and proceeded to open his screwdriver up, extreme concentration written on her face. A claw whipped through my hair, tugging at the many knots that had developed in my time there, and I whirled around to see a guy looking at me with the eyes that…I can't even begin to describe his expression without scarring everybody for life. Let's just say he was thinking some very dirty thoughts.<p>

I just used the same move I had on the Doctor two days ago and watched with satisfaction as he gasped, looking somewhat like a fish.

_Why aren't we running?_

Audrey looked up just long enough to shout, "Behind you!" Then she continued her work.

I spun around to see Ryan looming over me with a smile that was definitely sending off some serious creeper vibes.

"Hey, sugar," he said.

He got a fist to the nose.

Well, an attempted one.

Once again, he stopped the blow by simply catching my arm. And smirking, too.

He kicked me in the shin-again. The same place as last time, only a slightly worse reaction this time. Instead of giving him the death glare, I buckled to the floor, lying, helpless, on the grimy floor. Yellow-ish-brown tiles pressed themselves into my pathetic face. I had a feeling my leg was broken again.

_Crap,_ I thought, _I can't move._ All I could do was turn my head to observe the battle, amazed I hadn't been slaughtered in all this time.

"Payton!" The Doctor turned to look at me from where he stood by the door.

I glared at him, feeling like a weenie, and then eyed the Avexdolus behind him, ready to attack. "Don't. You. Dare."

He stopped, looking confused. "What?" A claw narrowly missed the side of his head and he ducked to the side, then tried again to run to me, clearly confused as to why I would reject his concern.

"Hey, I think I've got it!" Audrey's voice came from somewhere behind me, sounding very excited.

"By George, I think she's got it," I muttered.

I heard a momentary whirring as she tried the button.

The Doctor paused in his dodging of endless claws. _"No!"_ He yelled…

…Just as the sonic exploded in her face.

There was a moment where everything seemed to hang in the air. Audrey was in mid-scream, the Doctor was running toward her, Lucas paused to see what the ruckus was, and I was just staring, shocked. Then everything sped back up to a normal pace. The Doctor reached Audrey and grabbed the now-ruined sonic.

"It's…it's not your technology."

"But…it all _seemed_ so similar, so I thought…" My friend looked down at her feet and I felt sorry for her.

"It's alright, it's alright, she'll make me a new one later." He turned and looked back at me.

Audrey and I exchanged confused glances.

"She…?"

The Doctor gave a small smirk. "Not enough time for explanation, Ponds-''

He stopped dead in the middle of his sentence, suddenly looking both mortified and very sad.

_What is going on here?_

"Am I missing something?" Audrey inquired as she tilted her head. I shrugged.

"Never mind that…erm…let's just focus on getting back out of here!"

"About that," I mused, "what's with the Avexdolus? We should all be dead by now for stopping."

All three of us turned to see that we weren't just imagining the silence.

Before us a mass of clawed people stood, fixed to the spot. Their eyes showed nothing whatsoever, their faces completely blank. Slowly, the Doctor approached Ryan and waved a hand in his face, which had no effect. He didn't even blink.

"I wonder…"

After doing this to several more people, he faced us, looking somewhat concerned.

"It looks like they were stunned."

I hazarded a guess:

"The sonic exploding?"

He nodded. "I think they've been _stupefied_- oh, always loved that word- temporarily. Wouldn't be my favorite way to get us out of here but I suppose it'll work."

"So we just leave them here?" I had to ask. "What'll happen when they come around?"

The Doctor paused a moment to think. "Most likely chaos. It'll be within a few hours, but it'll still happen and I have a feeling they won't stop even when they know I'm gone. They'll question everyone, they might even kill some people if they think they're hiding something."

I shuddered. "That means me and my family."

"And mine," Audrey said somberly.

"So…" I was at a loss for words. "What do we do?"

The Doctor shrugged. "We wait."

"What?" We both asked it at exactly the same time, identical expressions of bewilderment on our faces.

It suddenly occurred to me that our original plan wouldn't have worked anyway; I couldn't run. Huh. The funniest ideas pop into your head when you're lying there, useless, on the musty floor of an old…whatever this was.

_And then- something appeared in front of me: it looked like…a window? I peered inside past the gray panes and saw a chick typing on a laptop, looking really into whatever she was writing. Then, suddenly, she gave an 'oh!' and scrolled up. Frowning, she went back down and muttered to herself; something about how she just realized that the very last, albeit humorous idea in the previous chapter was nigh impossible considering the main character was incapable of running- oooohh._

_It then occurred to me that I had just broken the fourth wall._

Okay, back to reality-

_Oh, quit yer yappin, short-chick-on-computer! I can call it reality if I want to, it's a free country!_

Sorry about that.

Anyway, while I was stupidly contemplating the inaccuracy of our intentions, the Doctor had sat down on a wooden box and crossed his arms impatiently. Apparently neither the Doctor nor Audrey could see the window- wait, what window? What am I saying? There never was a window in here, save for the nasty one seven feet from the floor, letting in some weak sunlight, though even that was fading quickly as night came.

_The window came back. The girl was face-palming at her stupidity; of course, the leg-breaking didn't happen until after that chapter! Duh! What a moron! Idiot! Stupid, stupid-_

_Chill out and revise the chapter already!_

_She whined and said she was too lazy to go back and fix things, mostly because this scene was instantly made totally anticlimactic and funny by that bit and she didn't want to get rid of a perfectly good Homestuck reference. I rolled my eyes, and once more the window vanished- but there wasn't one to vanish in the first place. Gosh, quit bringing that up!_

_But right before said nonexistent thing disappeared I saw her, frustrated, ending the chapter because she had ruined it completely and could not bring any justifiable end to it smoothly. She vowed solemnly to do better next time._

_And she asked readers to review, even if it was just to flame her for being stupid._

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><p><strong>Looks like her observations said it all. To put those last few paragraphs in short, I am bored, sleep-deprived, and stressed about final exams. So, basically, this is the result of all that. Heheheh. What can I say?<strong>


	13. Memo! Aren't you excited!

Hello, readers…

This is another memo…yes…sorry. If you haven't read the past chapter, feel free to- I uploaded it at some point. (But I'd rather you not. It is crap, no kidding.)

I'd like to be able to tell you all that I am working on Something in the Forest right now, and I'll have the next chapter up soon, but, unfortunately, such is not the case. Maybe I would have tried to write over the summer, but I had a major back surgery in early July and once my double vision finally cleared up I was still feeling like I just didn't care about anything. Now that I do care, of course, I have stuff to do like stupid AP summer assignments. I did find time to read over what I have shared with you, and let me say I am freaking ashamed of how much of a Mary Sue Payton has become. I mean, seriously. That's awkward to have to face.

School starts for me on the fourth, so once I'm done with my projects it'll be back to the grindstone or whatever the phrase is. I probably just butchered that. In other words, I'm sure I'd have time to write other stories, but not to go back and edit things and then…no. That's really hard if you have little time on your hands. So…know that I'm really sorry, guys, because I feel like I've let you down. Maybe I'll publish some random excerpts I wrote at some point for the sequel I was planning, kinda like deleted scenes. Well, maybe not like them. I don't know. I'm just rambling now.

Bless yo' face!

-sparrow


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